Hello! Have been considering a Framework 16 and was looking at the DIY and Pre-built and noticed the DIY has options for up to 64 memory and 4tb primary storage that the Pre-built seems to lack. I am personally not very technically skilled and would prefer to order a pre-built but the seeming limits to memory and storage options confuse me and so I thought I would post this to ask if I am missing something or if there was a reason for this?
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It’s possible that they don’t perceive high enough demand for this sku to make it worth stocking. Framework is a small company so they do have to allocate resources and make decisions carefully. It may seem daunting to purchase the DIY however, Framework has excellent guides on how to install the RAM and storage which are easy to follow along and something that I would recommend considering. That being said, everyone has their own comforts. An alternative is you could take it to a tech shop and ask them to install the RAM and storage for you.
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Yeah, they don’t want to stock every possible variation, so limit the possible combinations. You will also note that it comes with Windows 11. So they supply a system that is pretty equivalent to what you could purchase from most Laptop suppliers as an off the shelf item, in terms of operating system, memory capacity and disk size as this will suit 99.99% of people who are not into self specifying and assembling their own specific whizz bang machine.
If you’re concerned with buying the DIY edition might I suggest buying a single stick of RAM with half of the RAM you want and then purchase another stick of RAM. I’ll be honest I haven’t even looked at the pre-built systems so I don’t know if this is even an option. But I do know there was one user who got a batch 1 DIY FW16 and particularly had issues with the Wi-Fi module and antenna. I’d hate for someone else to have a bad experience when going with a pre-built system would have given a different experience. That being said the systems are the same so a pre-built system is just as easy to fix and repair as a DIY. So you could easily upgrade the RAM from a pre-built. Although I wouldn’t want you to have to spend even more money by buying RAM you won’t use and then completely replace it just to get the amount you want in the first place.
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Just to be clear, the Wi-Fi module and its antennas come pre-instlaled in the DIY computer. He had an issue with his computer and had removed the Wi-Fi module as part of his troubleshooting process and then ran into difficulty getting the tiny antenna wires reconnected.
Still, not everyone wants to mess with assembly and installing an OS.
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This isn’t an option on the pre-builts.
That was a whole can of worms.
Still involve work and since it comes with 2 x 16 GB, you’d have RAM sticks lying around. At that point, you might as well buy the DIY version and install the storage yourself. I honestly think buying the DIY version and getting someone to set it up for them is the correct approach if they are set on that config.
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Hello again! Thank you everyone for your advice, I did some number crunching and found that buying a pre-build and then upgrading the storage myself only costs around $402 more than buying the DIY kit and trying to assemble it all myself. Unfortunately, there aren’t any computer/tech shops around that I would trust to assemble a DIY kit for me, however, I did look at guides on how to change out the storage and memory and it seems fairly straightforward. After taking everything into consideration I think buying a pre-built and then upgrading the storage and memory myself will be a lot less daunting than trying to assemble everything. Thanks again to everyone and wish me luck!
Installing storage and RAM is the vast majority of the work involved in assembling the DIY machine. Plus, unless you clone the drive first, you’ll be installing the OS as well on the new drive.
I don’t think you’ll be saving yourself much work, if any.
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Agreed - I think the only steps that would save is snapping the bezel onto the screen and installing the expansion ports? Plus, your would have to remove the keyboard, which isn’t hard, but neither is installing the bezel.